February 13, 2018 9:00am ESTFebruary 13, 2018 9:05am ESTBefore the trade deadline, there were few among the old Cavs group who had much to prove. That's definitely not the case with Rodney Hood, George Hill, Jordan Clarkson and Larry Nance Jr.Cavs guard Rodney Hood(Getty Images)

BOSTON — Rumblings out of Utah have come out slowly, building up ahead of this year’s trade deadline, which was the best chance for the Jazz to nudge out guard Rodney Hood before he hits restricted free agency and a probable big payday this summer. Hood, it was whispered, won’t play hurt. He’ll milk his injuries. He is Charmin-soft.

He is aware of all that chatter. It happens in the NBA — very often traded players leave their old teams with a set steak knives wedged into their backs as a parting gift. In Hood’s case, he’s got 28 games plus the postseason to show that the perception of him left after he departed Utah isn’t quite right.

“It just makes you want to prove yourself even more,” Hood said. “I do feel like I have a lot of prove here as part of this team.”

One game in, and the proof looks pretty good. With virtually no knowledge of the playbook, Hood chipped in 15 points on 6-for-11 shooting in 18 minutes on Sunday, helping the Cavaliers drub the Celtics in Boston, 121-99.

Hood joined his new team carrying a chip on his shoulder. That’s something that was missing with Cleveland before the team made a flurry of moves at the trade deadline, moves that left the Cavs with four new players, three of whom are just 25. Before the deadline, the Cavs were not just old — they were complacent. There were few among the group who had much to prove.

That’s not so with the quartet of Hood, Jordan Clarkson, Larry Nance Jr. and George Hill. There is some edge to these guys after these trades, a reason to be miffed at the league. The Lakers were pushing a Clarkson trade almost immediately after he signed a new contract with the team. Hill signed with Sacramento last summer after getting a promise that the team would contend for the playoffs, only to find the team tanking by the end of his first month in town.

Nance has his own motivations. He will now be playing for the same franchise as his father, whose No. 22 has been retired and hangs from the rafters. Cavs general manager Koby Altman said after the trade that Nance was “borderline in tears (of joy)” when he called to tell him he was coming to Cleveland. Nance laughed that off, saying, “I’m more of a man than that.”

The new guys had an impressive day against Boston, which is now only four games in the loss column ahead of the Cleveland for second in the conference. In all, they scored 49 points on 18-for-35 shooting and 8-for-15 shooting from the 3-point line, and they did not wilt under the pressure of playing in a national TV game in an amped-up TD Garden.

“Just to come out and get a win, that was the biggest thing, especially in this kind of atmosphere,” Hood said. “Get thrown in the fire a little bit, playing against a Boston team I am pretty sure we will see down the line. It was fun.”

There were open shots aplenty for the new Cavs, and there will be more of those as they adjust to playing alongside Cavs star LeBron James. Two of the six 3-pointers Hood attempted came without a defender within 10 feet of him, for example. Two others came when he was open, and only two were truly contested.

According to NBA.com stats, Cleveland sharpshooter Kyle Korver has taken 60 percent of his 3s either open (defender within four-to-six feet) or wide open (no defender within six feet). In Utah, 39 percent of Hood’s 3s came either open or wide open. If he gets the Korver treatment from defenses, his perimeter shooting should get a boost.

Of course, the Celtics are in a bit of a tailspin now, and one February game does not mean much in the context of a season. Other than Hill, the new Cavs have very little postseason experience — Hood played 11 postseason games last year, and shot terribly (35.2 percent from the field, 26.0 percent from the 3-point line), while Clarkson and Nance have never been to the playoffs. There’s no telling how they’ll handle the pressure of the stretch run for Cleveland, and the playoffs.

Clarkson said the new group is coming in with a clear understanding of the goal in Cleveland, particularly when it comes to James. If there’s a lack of playoff experience, he knows that’s no excuse.

“You’re out there on the floor for a purpose,” he said. “We’re out there to win. I know he got one goal, he wants to win that chip. We’re here to help, do our job.”

After the game on Sunday, Hood conceded that he had butterflies coming in. “Oh, I was very nervous,” he said. He added that the nerves went away quickly, but just the fact that they were there to begin with is something that can be a positive for this Cavs team.

Too many of the guys Cleveland dealt away last week played the first half of the season like they were fat and happy, shrugging off their defensive failings and pointing fingers at each other for the team’s problems. The Cavs are hoping that complacency has been eradicated, and if it is replaced by some butterflies in the belly, that’s a good thing. That means these guys care.

Cleveland did not just get four new players in the deals made last week. They got a heap of chips-on-shoulders. As the team tries to turn things around before the stretch run, those chips might be this team’s most important acquisition.